The recent Sartell High School graduate is competing at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyo. It's the first time she has reached nationals after three years of trying from her freshman to junior years in high school.

"I'm going against people from the south who race all year long," Traut said. "It's kind of overwhelming. You never know what's going to happen in barrel racing. Even if you don't have your best run one day, you can always come back and have a better one."

Barrel racing is an event where a horse and rider attempt to complete a cloverleaf pattern around set barrels with the fastest time winning.

Traut had her first run on Monday with her horse, Rollin, and finished with a time of 18.3 seconds. It was the 11th-best time in the first round. She'll race again Friday to see if she can advance to the finals on Sunday. The 20 best cumulative times from the first two rounds will determine who advances to the finals.

Traut is optimistic that she can advance.

"I was sitting pretty good for my first run," she said. "I have another one to go yet. This is a whole new step up. But I felt Monday was the best run I had all year. It was the best feeling I've had doing this."

The trip out to Wyoming wasn't that easy for the Trauts. They blew out two tires on Interstate 90 on the way. One happened in Minnesota and the other happened in Wyoming.

"Somehow we made it," Traut said. "We stopped at a pro rodeo in Laramie, Wyo., on the way. When we got here, there was a volleyball tournament and a dance. There's also a Knowledge Bowl. It's really been a blast.

"It's super pretty out here. We're down in a valley and you can see the mountain range all around us. We had a dust storm (on Tuesday) with 45 mile-per-hour winds. There was nothing to hold the sand down. We're in the middle of nowhere."

(Photo: Photo courtesy of Vince Craigmile)

Getting her start

Traut started barrel racing when she was 9 through her 4-H Club. She started competing in junior high races when she was 13 and gradually made her way into the Minnesota high school circuit.

"I rode with a friend for fun when I started out," Traut said. "My friends eventually quit, but I continued to ride and kept stepping up to new levels."

To get to nationals, she earned a position on the Minnesota State/Provincial National High School rodeo team. Each member of the team had to compete in three sanctioned rodeos to get to nationals. Traut has been in 12 rodeos since last fall.

She has routinely competed in rodeos in Litchfield, Verndale, Fergus Falls and Clearwater on the Minnesota Rodeo Circuit. There are three other barrel racers from Minnesota who went to nationals with Traut. Two of the riders are from out of state (Iowa and Wisconsin), while the other is from Shakopee.

Melby bought Rollin three years ago from Jane Melby, a Backus professional barrel racer who earned $124,642 in competitions in 2013.

Traut and the 8-year-old horse had to get used to each other at first. The typical lifespan of a horse is 30 years.

"He brought me here and he's pretty top-notch," Traut said.

Traut trains with Rollin on her family's beet and crop farm north of Sartell. Her parents, Dennis and Renee, always travel with her.

Her brothers, Jared and Loren, run the family farm when Traut and her parents are away. Otherwise, the brothers drive truck for a living.

The Trauts put in a running track on the farm for Erica to practice on. Traut typically practices on the track 3-4 times a week with Rollin.

"I'm out there for a couple of hours when I train. I have to do chores in the morning and at night. It's hard work," Traut said.

"Living on a farm is a lifestyle people don't understand. It gives you a different perspective on work ethic and provides you different opportunities. It's helped me for sure."

Sticking with it

Traut is glad she stuck with barrel racing, especially since she's advanced as far as she has. Performing well in the arena isn't always easy.

"It's a big mental game," she said. "You're competing against so many great girls.

"I always look at it like I'm competing against myself. You want to do better every time and outrun yourself.

"I don't worry about anyone else. You can watch other people and learn from them –– that's what I try to do."

Traut plans on attending St. Cloud Technical & Community College this fall to take her generals. She's thinking about a career in food and nutrition in the future.

Traut isn't going to give up barrel racing. She knows you can't make a career out of it, but it will be her main hobby. She plans on trying to get her pro circuit rodeo card starting next spring. A barrel racer has to earn $1,500 at sanctioned races before they get their card.

"I would be gone every weekend and I'd be competing in the Great Lakes Circuit in the border states. The competition is going to get a lot tougher," Traut said.

"There is no way you can make a living off rodeo. There are a lot of expenses, but this is a lifestyle choice. The thrill of competition is something you can't match. The adrenaline rush you get is incredible."